This invention relates to a covered drinking cup (e.g., for a child) which includes a straw assembly.
Drinking cups having straws molded into the wall of the cup are known in the art. One such cup is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,868. Also known in the art are beverage containers housing flexible straws which are accessible when the container is opened, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,194,674 and 4,226,356 or when a second and separate lid is removed to expose the straw permanently mounted in the cover as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,415. The prior art also discloses closed beverage containers having two part straw assemblies in which the outer straw portion may be rotated in either a vertical or horizontal plane to open and close the fluid flow path through the straw, illustrated respectively in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,890,153 and 4,291,814.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a permanent reusable straw assembly which is readily disassembled for cleaning and then reassembled. It is a further object of the invention to provide a straw assembly for a covered drinking cup in which the cover remains closed in use, and the external straw segment can be moved through a variety of operable positions without affecting the flow path through the straw for convenient angular access to the contents of the cup. It is a further object of the invention to provide a means for storing the external straw segment in a compact configuration that minimizes the opportunity for contamination of the straw or for spilling the contents of the cup particularly during transport of the cup from one location to another.